Bye-bye, Beetle: Volkswagen to stop production of iconic three-generation old 'people's car'

The Beetle, which was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler, has been in existence for over 7 decades after work on its design began in the 1930s. The worldwide production of the car will be stopped in summer 2019.

Volkswagen Beetle production to stop in 2019 (Photo credit: Pixabay.com)&nbsp

New Delhi: It is the end of the road for Volkswagen’s iconic two-seater coupe Beetle after nearly seven decades of production. The German car manufacturing giant on Thursday announced that it would be hitting the brakes on production of its quintessential ‘cool car’.

The car, which was reportedly the brainchild of Hitler, has been in existence for over 7 decades; work on its design began in the 1930s. Now, the worldwide production of the car will be stopped in summer 2019.

Worth mentioning that the insect-inspired vehicle was manufactured and marketed first during the World War II era. It may be noted that the car was specifically designed as Adolf Hitler wanted a cheap, people’s car that could be produced in bulk.

However, as Volkswagen moves focus to electric vehicles and SUVs, it has decided to stop the production of one of its most popular cars. The move comes after only 15,000 units were sold in the US in 2017 compared to over 4 lakh sold during the peak of its popularity in the 1960s. During the time, it was also often referred to as the ‘hippy’ car due to its popularity among college students and youth.

It may be noted that over 22 million Beetle variants have been produced by the company with several improvements—both externally and internally. While the last Beetle will be manufactured in 2019, the company is already emotional about the attachment it has with the iconic car.

In a statement, Volkswagen CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken said: “The loss of the Beetle after three generations, over nearly seven decades, will evoke a host of emotions from the Beetle's many devoted fans.”

However, those who are feeling sad about the development do have something to look up to. Volkswagen had earlier ceased the vehicle’s production in the year 1979 but revived it again in 1998 and rechristened it as the modern ‘New Beetle’. While the company does not have any immediate plans to revive the car, there may be another attempt to revive it later, hinted Woebcken.

Bye-bye, Beetle: Volkswagen to stop production of iconic three-generation old 'people's car' Description:The Beetle, which was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler, has been in existence for over 7 decades after work on its design began in the 1930s. The worldwide production of the car will be stopped in summer 2019.Times Now